The official video from the song, no less. Recorded in Montreal, Canada in Room 1742 at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in June 1969 with John and Yoko singing backed by the Plastic Ono Band. The song was released while John was still part of the Beatles.
The other Beatles hated that John was with Yoko. “That Okinawan witch,” Paul McCarthy referred to her. Yoko was a very avant-garde artist from Japan who speak English as a second language. The two were very much in love, though John used to beat her up in the 1970’s when they lived in New York.
One of the greatest antiwar songs of all time. From the anti-Vietnam War Movement of that time. I am wondering. Will we ever have another antiwar movement ever again in this blighted land? I think it will never happen again. Just one more way we have gone backwards in fifty years.
At 1:38, 2:05,3:38, and again at 4:50, guess who that is? None other than Timothy Leary himself! Every time I see Tim Leary, he’s always got an ear to ear smile across his face.
I saw him once in a video store on Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood in 1985. He was renting a copy of Amadeus at 10 PM. My friend said, “Bob! Look! It’s Timothy Leary! The Godhead! And he put his hands together and prayer and started bowing to the Prince of LSD. He was smiling then too, same thing. His teeth lit up the room, and you couldn’t frown if you tried. I guess if you took as much acid as he did, you might have a perma-smile on your face too, right?
Who’s that at 1:52? Allen Ginsberg? Gotta be him. It can’t be anyone else.
Who’s that at 2:48? It’s got to be Tommy Smothers!
And the gorgeous Rosemary Woodruff Leary from the start off and on until :46 and then again in several places. Got to be her. Plus she’s sitting right next to Tim.
Derek Taylor at 1:22. The famous record producer and journalist known as “The Fifth Beatle.”
Tommy Cooper, the comedian and magician, in the background at 1:07 and again at 3:06? Could well be.
Now we have to find Dylan and Mailer, and we’re home free.
They don’t mention her in the song, but can anyone spot the woman at 4:02. I can. It’s Petula Clark, the famous actress!
Ev’rybody’s talking about
Bagism, Shagism, Dragism, Madism, Ragism, Tagism
This-ism, that-ism, is-m, is-m, is-mAll we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chanceC’mon
Ev’rybody’s talking aboutMinisters, sinisters, banisters and canisters
Bishops and fishops and rabbis and Popeyes
And bye bye, bye byesAll we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chanceLet me tell you now
Ev’rybody’s talking about
Revolution, evolution, masturbation
Flagellation, regulation, integrations
Meditations, United Nations
CongratulationsAll we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chanceEv’rybody’s talking aboutJohn and Yoko, Timmy Leary, Rosemary Tommy Smothers, Bobby DylanTommy Cooper, Derek TaylorNorman Mailer, Alan GinsbergHare KrishnaHare, Hare KrishnaAll we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chanceAll we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance
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